The Use of Unloading Knee Braces in Conjunction with Knee Injections (Particularly Stem Cell/ Regenerative Medicine Injections.)  

The widespread application of stem cell therapy across the country could be considered somewhat “new territory” for the field of healthcare.  Phenomenal results are being achieved daily in many areas of regenerative therapy–treating a variety of physical conditions. 

A new common use of regenerative therapy is treatment of osteoarthritic or degenerated joints.  Many clinicians are finding that the high success rate of a regenerative injection into a joint can be even further improved by several factors–including, but not limited to–the type of product being used, the specification of class of tissue being treated, as well as the use of ultrasound guidance to ensure correct placement and unloading the joint immediately following the injection with a brace to ensure proper healing and support.
There are several reasons a clinician would opt to unload a recently injected joint with a brace.

The main reasons stated by clinicians are:
1. To return the joint to it’s proper position during the healing process, ensuring the joint heals correctly.

2. To open up the degenerated compartment of the joint, thus making space for the regeneration of tissue to occur and allowing the cells to migrate to the correct location.

3. To keep excessive pressure and excessive inflammation away from the joint.

Inflammation is necessary for the healing process to occur. By keeping the pressure and any possible excessive inflammation away from the joint, the brace will be creating an optimum environment for the injected product to be effective.

Dr. David Morris D.C. talks about why his prescribers use an unloading knee brace after every knee injection.

How the unloading hinge on these kinds of braces is adjusted to unload the medial OR lateral compartment with the same brace.